Students and educators urge San Francisco Board to reject staffing model; board declines fiscal stabilization plan

SAN FRANCISCO

Hundreds of students, educators and community members packed a San Francisco Board of Education meeting on Dec. 16 to plead with trustees not to adopt a draft staffing model and related fiscal stabilization plan that staff presented as a "worst-case" scenario for 2026. After more than three hours of public comment and extended debate, the board voted down the fiscal stabilization plan in a roll-call vote.

The public-comment period was dominated by students from multiple middle and high schools who said the staffing model's projected shift from a seven-period school day to a six-period funding baseline would eliminate electives for many learners and disproportionately harm English learners, newcomers and students with special needs. "Electives are important because they help students like me discover who they are," said Andrea Sofia Benitez, an eighth-grade student, describing her music elective as having "a positive impact on my academic development." Other students described wellness centers as lifelines: "When my friend died, I felt that the only place I could turn to was my wellness center,"…